Digital technologies as a means of repression and social control
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Introduction
This section briefly presents the study objectives, scope, and methodological approach to the research process. It also provides brief definitions of such terms as ‘digital technologies’, ‘repression’, and ‘social control’ to delineate their meaning and place them in relation with, or differentiate them from, other relevant concepts used in this study. The latter include relatively recent concepts, such as ‘digital rights’, ‘surveillance society’, ‘digital authoritarianism’, or ‘algorithmic governance’.
1.1
Objectives and scope of the study
Digital technologies, and technologic developments in general, play an increasingly important role in ‘enabling and ensuring the fulfilment [of] and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms’ 4, as they provide an additional platform for their fulfilment. At the same time, they can also be abused to consolidate power and violate various dimensions of human rights. The focus of this study is the use of digital technologies as a means of repression and social control, and the EU’s external human rights policy options to tackle this threat. More specifically, this study aims to: (1)
provide an overview of the normative framework as regards the human rights standards to be respected in the use and regulation of digital technologies, as established by regional and international human rights bodies as of 2020;
(2)
assess the existing EU policy framework and toolbox to respond to the use of digital technologies for repression and control in third countries;
(3)
make recommendations for EU institutions, and the EP in particular, on how the policy framework and the toolbox could be further developed to take into account the current geopolitical trends and challenges to the multilateral system.
In order to address these, the study first explores the context of the problem of using digital technologies as a means of repression and social control, and highlights the main political and technical trends regarding human rights and digital technologies since the EP’s 2015 ‘Study on Surveillance and Censorship: The impact of technologies on human rights’ 5 and resolution on ‘Human rights and technology: the impact of intrusion and surveillance systems on human rights in third countries’ 6. These trends are reviewed in line with the following thematic areas: (1) the expansion of widespread biometric surveillance and algorithmic decision-making; (2) the emergence of public health surveillance systems; (3) digital tools of information control; (4) the next generation repression toolkit; (5) transnational dimensions of digital repressions (Chapter 2). Then, an overview and analysis of international human rights standards regarding digital technologies is presented, including standards set through relevant conventions and treaty bodies at international and regional level, advice and guidance documents adopted by special procedures and other relevant human rights mechanisms or bodies, as well as any relevant technical organisations. In this context, relevant
European Parliament resolution of 8 September 2015 on ‘Human rights and technology: the impact of intrusion and surveillance systems on human rights in third countries’ (2014/2232(INI)). 5 Wagner, B., Bronowicka, J., Berger, C. and Behrndt, T., ‘Surveillance and censorship: the impact of digital technologies on human rights’, European Parliament, 2015. 6 European Parliament, Resolution of 8 September 2015 on ‘Human rights and technology: the impact of intrusion and surveillance systems on human rights in third countries’ (2014/2232(INI)). 4
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